Ingram came close to taking the overall drivers’ championship in the BTCC’s diamond jubilee year, but ended a hard-fought season as a highly creditable runner-up to the new, three-time champion Colin Turkington, trailing his manufacturer-supported BMW rival by just 12 points.

The 2018 result mirrors the Independents’ double that Tom and Speedworks achieved with the British-built Toyota Avensis in 2017.

Ingram claimed three victories, nine podium finishes and five fastest laps in the course of the 2018 season, plus 171 crowd-pleasing overtaking moves that earned him the Dunlop #ForeverForward honour.

He said: “You can always look back at what could have been or should have been, but we can’t dwell on things as overall it has been one hell of a year for us. The Avensis has been an absolute joy to drive and the support we have received has been nothing short of mind-blowing.

“This year has been incredible, hopefully 2019 will be even better.”

Speedworks Team Principal Christian Dick said: “Tom has been brilliant all year. I can’t think of a single moment when he has put a foot wrong, and he has produced some sensational drives through the field.

“It’s a phenomenal achievement to win both Independents’ titles two years on the bounce, and testament to the stellar work everybody here has put in – particularly as we are a single-car operation.”